Invitae Corporation, a leading medical genetics company, applauds the Biden Administration’s announcement to reignite the Cancer Moonshot with renewed White House leadership of this effort. As part of this initiative, the newly formed President’s Cancer Panel also released a report on Closing the Gaps in Cancer Screening, which includes several important advancements in the use of genetic testing and access to genetic counselors for cancer patients.
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Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 608,570 cancer deaths in 2021. More than 13% of cancer patients have a clinically significant germline variant that can be revealed through genetic testing, thereby alerting the patients to their risk for second cancers as well as providing their family members with an opportunity to learn their own cancer risk status. Furthermore, many cancer patients with germline variants can benefit from tailored treatment, including PARP inhibitors, type of surgery or chemotherapy, or enrollment in clinical trials. The President’s Cancer Panel recommends expanded access to genetic testing and counseling for cancer risk assessment through germline testing, and includes several goals that would increase access to these tests, including:
Proposing that all cancer patients be eligible to receive a test for hereditary cancer syndromes
Eliminating requirements for pretest counseling by a certified genetic counselor or medical geneticist for coverage of genetic testing
Expanding provider training and education on genetics, genetic testing, and interpretation of genetic testing results
Allowing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize genetic counselors as healthcare providers
“The Administration’s decision to reinvigorate the Cancer Moonshot and highlight the important role that genetic testing and counseling plays in cancer treatment is a huge step forward in accelerating the rate of progress against cancer in the U.S.,” says Dr. Robert Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of Invitae. “We also commend President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for their specific call to action on cancer screening to jumpstart progress on missed screenings as a result of the pandemic. We hope this renewed priority will lead to more progress in genetic testing guidelines in Congress and the broader healthcare community.”